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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Wow...it's been over a year since my last blog post...that tells you how exciting our lives have been. But that's ok, boring is good. Like all other stay at home moms (part time or full time), I am doing the BACK TO SCHOOL happy dance. My mind is spinning with all the things I am going to do with my free time 3 days a week! I might go to the gym, I might go shopping, will probably do some DSAMC work, will definitely spend the first few days sitting at Starbucks staring at the walls.

School wise we made a pretty big change for Jake last year & we choose to pull him out of the school district at 6 years old and put him in a private preschool. Didn't know that was a option, did ya? We didn't either. Until the school district tried to pin us in a corner & tell us where Jake would go. They really left us no option as they were not going to "give in" to any of our requests as to how his education was going to happen. Nothing. It was simply a take it or leave it kind of meeting. So we left it.

We were introduced to a AMAZING preschool in our area where Jake was welcomed with open arms, hearts, and minds. There were no issues of his age, no issues that he was not yet potty trained...no issues what so ever. They even offered him a 1 on 1 aid since this was a big change for him & the help was anticipated. The only question that was ever asked was where do we, his parents feel like he will fit in. Jake ended up being in a class of 3-4 year olds, 2 days a week for 2.5 hours. IT WAS THE BEST THING WE EVER DID FOR HIM. We learned so much about him and how he learns, what he needs & doesn't need. Not to say it was all rainbows and sunshine...it was a new experience & it had it's bumps in the road, life always will...but it was a amazing year. With that said, we decided to do it again this year. Today we went to his new class room, met some new friends, said hi to some old friends, and took a deep breath. Last year I at this time I had so many emotions running thru me, I thought I was going to explode. I was so angry with the school district, so excited to find a alternative, so filled with love that they genuinely wanted him there, and so anxious that I had no idea how it was going to work out. This year, completely different story. 2 emotions...excitement & joy. I am so excited for Jake...I feel big things are going to come our way this year. It's our year of bumping up last years game to get us ready for the big leagues. Besides the prep & the therapy and all the educational parts of school, this is the year that I start building the foundation for the friendship, the true, life long friendships that Jake will have. This is the year that we will invite HIS friends from school & outside of school to his birthday party. This is the year that we will become more social without the fear of parents & kids not "getting" Jake. This is the year that it's gonna get real.

So, what prompted this post (1.5 years since the last)...Jake's birthday & his new class. Jake will turn 7 in a few weeks & I want his classmates to come (I also invited a few of his classmates from last year). It's most likely that his new classmates would not come, because they don't know him yet & lets face it...our situation is a little different. We tend to fear the unknown & Down syndrome is still pretty unknown, unless it's part of your life. So I feel like I need to step up my parent game and do something about it. So I decided to write a letter to the parents of Jake's classmates. The letter will be in the same envelope as his birthday party invitation. Here is our letter:

Dear preschool parents,

We would like to introduce
you to our son, Jake.We know that it is
uncommon to introduce our child this way, but we wanted you all to know a
little about him.This is Jake’s 2nd
year at West Side Preschool.Our hearts
are full knowing that Jake has been so warmly embraced by the staff &
families at West Side Preschool last year, and we are excited for the new
friends and opportunities this school year.

Jake has Down syndrome, and
while that is a part of who he is, it does not define him.Jake is a little boy first, Down syndrome is
part of his genetic makeup, just like his hazel eyes and dirty blonde hair.

Jake is almost 7 years
old.We know it seems odd to have him in
a class with 4-5 year olds, but developmentally and physically, that is where
he fits in best.Jake is ALL boy.He is a ball of energy.He loves to play outside, if there is water
& mud, even better.Jake likes to
give hugs & hold hands.Hugs
sometimes turn into Wrestle Mania, but we are working on that.Everyone is a buddy.He loves to high five.His favorite snacks are Cheez-It crackers,
bananas, and string cheese.He is not
the prettiest of eaters, but he gets the job done.

Still wondering why we felt
the need to introduce Jake to you?Well
it’s pretty simple, we want you & your child to feel comfortable around
Jake, and in doing so, you have to understand a little about who he is.For instance, Jake is pretty much nonverbal.We are working hard on that & you will
quickly notice that Jake may not have the ability to verbally tell you what he
wants or needs, but he will find a way to make you understand.The biggest way to help Jake with his speech
is to speak to him normally.He
understands EVERYTHING you are saying to him.More than anything, we just want Jake to have the same opportunities as
any other child, we want him to be included, and we want him to learn good
behaviors and fun things from the kids around him.We purposely choose to pull Jake out of the
school district and put him in West Side Preschool because we feel that the
social interactions he gets from his typical peers is so incredibly important
to his growth and development.In the
past year we have noticed that he is learning to play with toys appropriately
(pushing trucks, building with blocks, pretend play with kitchen sets).We have also noticed that he is following
basic 1-3 step requests more frequently, and is establishing lots of small
routines.We firmly believe he has
picked up these AWESOME habits from watching and doing what his typical friends
are doing.Every once in a while (especially
at the beginning of the school year) Jake will get overwhelmed, or over
stimulated & will need to take a walk.We are so grateful to have Emily by his side to help him out. You might notice that Jake does things a
little different in class.Our goal for
Jake this year is to get him prepared for Kindergarten next year.Sometimes we have to be creative about how to
get things done.

If your child asks what is
“different” about Jake (it’s ok, kids are honest & speak what they see), a
simple explanation is that Jake has Down syndrome, which means that sometimes
things take him a little bit longer.Like learning to walk, talk, and color.You can also explain to your child that we are all different.That we have different hair color, eye color,
height, and weight.These are all the
differences that make us special and unique.There is only 1 you!Yesterday I
overheard a little boy at the park ask his mom why Jake looks different &
she simply explained, “that is the way God made him”.The little boy said, “cool” and they ran off
to play.

If you have any questions, we
are always happy to answer them.Please
don’t ever hesitate to pull us aside.If
you are more comfortable chatting thru e mail or text, that is great too.Like most people, we knew very little about
Down syndrome before Jake came into our world.We learn something new about it and about him every day.We have some great books that we would be
happy to lend to you about Down syndrome, if you would like or there is a great
You Tube video called Down Syndrome 101-UDSF that very simply explains what
Down syndrome is.It completely lifted
the fog for our 10 year old daughter, it’s that basic!

Wow...that entire post was wordy...but I need to add a few more words...I need to acknowledge some people who have changed our world and become our friends.

Sonia (Jake's speech therapist in the school district): YOU ROCK. When we felt completely let down by the school district you came into our lives. It is so obvious you love what you do and the people you work with. We want you to know that we recognize how above & beyond you go for your students, & we appreciate you.

Patty P. & Krista (Jake's teacher & aid last year): Like Sonia, YOU ROCK. You two will never know how much you lifted our family up by loving & accepting Jake. More than his teachers, you became our friends & helped us realize that there is ALWAYS a alternative. You are appreciated.

Patty G. & Emily (Jake's teacher & aid this year): I have complete faith that you guys too...ROCK! ;) As you can tell from this very wordy post, I am excited & grateful for everything you guys are doing for Jake & our family this year. We look forward to amazing things! You are appreciated.

KidSPOT crew (Jake's PT/OT & Speech therapist outside of RSD): You guys know YOU ROCK, but just in case you forgot...YOU ROCK. You guys have been with Jake longer than anyone (& you still let us come back every week). We don't see you guys as "Jake's therapists"...we see you as our friends, who happen to be awesome therapists. Jennifer, when Jake pops his "tude" with you, it's because he loves you! ;) We appreciate ALL of you!

So, put ALL of these people together in 1 little boys life & watch out! Good things are happening friends!

0
comments:

Julie

I’ve always thought of myself as an “average Joe” kind of person. I don’t believe that there is anything about me that makes me stick out in a crowd. I am married, I have a part time job, and the other part time, I stay at home with our two kids. I don’t come from an extremely wealthy family, but we have everything we need, and most of what we want…and we are happy. I try and handle things as they come my way, and try not to sweat the small stuff. I love that my husband thinks I am a total girly girl, my daughter thinks I’m her BFF (for now anyway), and my son giggles when I try and get him to say “Momma”. I love pink, eating olives off my fingers, sleeping, reality tv (the faker the better), and dancing. I’m really learning to love life.

Zach

Zach and I met in 1999, and were married 3 years later. Zach is all man. He likes anything outdoors. Hunting, fishing, camping, hiking...all things he finds fun. He's handy. He roofs, tiles, lays down hard wood floors, paints, and builds things. He cooks & cleans. He's recently become a rock star at piggy tails. I've yet to find anyting he can't do. He is my rock. He is a jungle gym for Gracie, and a big warm pillow for Jake.

Gracie

Gracie Lulu is our little princess. She is funny! She has lots of imaginary friends, and has a great time with them! She loves stuffed animals (espically pink ones), slurpee's, beautiful dresses, Sponge Bob Square Pants (againts our better judgment), her friends and her grandparents. She is very strong willed. I've never met a child that could adapt to life's ups and downs as well as she does. She is beautiful.

Jake

Jakey is my Bubba. He is the kid that will be everyone's friend. He's happy go lucky, always smiling, up for anything. He is a teacher. He LOVES to eat! He said "Da da" first, but signed "mom" first. His smile is infectious. He's grandpa's buddy, and grandma's sweet angel. He's a star & will be something big someday. I haven't found anything he doesn't like...yet.